Modifications to a Hobbyzone SuperCub
The Hobbyzone SuperCub is a humble z-foam trainer with 3 channels (throttle, elevator, rudder). It turns by means of rudder only. Due to its high wing and generous dihedral, it does bank while turning with the rudder. This is a good setup for starting out, and it served me well, but it has gotten a bit boring. I have moved on to a aileron trainer which is a much more rewarding way to fly (when doesn't look like this). The ailerons allow you to fly in a more realistic way, coordinated turns and all. It also makes landing in the wind easier as roll can be controlled without changing direction of the plane. In other words, you can keep the wing level without turning the plane. The SuperCub quickly began collecting dust.
I knew it was pretty straight-forward to add ailerons to a SuperCub, but I wasn't motivated until I saw this guy's modification. He created fantastic looking ailerons and then wrapped the entire wing and fuselage in Econokote! I had to have one of my own.
Before
Looks like any other foam SuperCub. There's just no hiding the fact that it's plain 'ol white foam.
After
I pretty much copied NECubFlyer's approach. I left the wing dihedral alone and added 12"x1.75" ailerons. I used two servos which allows me to set them as "flaperons" using a Spectrum DX7 radio.
How does it fly? Well...much better than before. It think the econokote made the airframe more rigid, particularly the wing. Inside loops seem a bit tighter and more crisp. I think the small amount of additional weight makes it fly BETTER. I'm using 3s LIPO with the stock motor so there's plenty of power. The extra weight makes it more stable in the wind. Lastly, the obvious change was the ailerons. It's not acrobatic by any means (won't even roll), but it so much more fun to fly. I love flying low making flat turns with the rudder. The ailerons let you cancel out the roll that would normally result from rudder turns. Coordinated turns are easy. Landing is easier as well. I'm thinking of doing another one in red....with the wing flattened...
